Complementary and Alternative Health Care and Natural Health Products Standards

The Complementary and Alternative Health Care (CAHC) and Natural Health Products (NHP) Standards are developed and approved as outlined in Section 133 of the Health Professions Act (2000). Registrants must also be aware of the Natural Health Products Regulations (SOR/2003-196) when providing care to clients who use NHPs.

The purpose of this document is to outline the minimum expectations and direction for registrants who

•  use, recommend, or provide advice for CAHC as an adjunct within their nursing practice;
•  have clients who wish to or are using CAHC; and/or
•  recommend or provide advice on the use of NHPs.

Registrants may be interested in using CAHC and NHPs in their practice because of the  emphasis on a holistic and natural approach to care. The guidelines for determining if a specific intervention should become part of a registrant’s practice are outlined in the Incorporating a Restricted Activity into Practice Guidelines (College of Registered Nurses of Alberta [CRNA], 2022b). These guidelines can be used to determine if a specific CAHC treatment would be appropriate as an adjunct to registered nursing practice in a particular setting.

The practice of all registrants is grounded in the CRNA’s Practice Standards for Registrants (2023) and the Canadian Nurses Association’s (CNA) Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (2017). Other CRNA documents that provide direction and guide practice related to CAHC and NHPs include the following:

•  Documentation Standards (2022a)
•  Incorporating a Restricted Activity into Practice Guidelines (2022b)
•  Infection Prevention and Control Standards (2022c
•  Medication Management Standards (2022d)
•  Prescribing Standards for Nurse Practitioners (2022e)
• Restricted Activities Standards (2022f)
•  Scope of Practice for Nurse Practitioners (2022g)
•  Scope of Practice for Registered Nurses (2022h)